WHAT'S NEW
WHAT'S NEW
Community/Regional Investment and Economic Development Training Program
Today, small
communities everywhere are at risk as a result of the accelerating pace of change
in the global economic, political and technical environment. They face growing
competition in their efforts to attract scarce resources and must increasingly
rely on their own resources. However, communities can respond by creating a
strategic vision to face these challenges and establishing a marketing-oriented
strategic planning. Communities need to develop skills to effectively identify,
communicate and promote their strategic advantages. They need to diversify their
economic base and develop mechanisms for adapting to changing conditions. And
they need to work together with, not against, other communities in their region
with similar challenges and develop a win-win culture.
The Estey
Centre's Community/Regional Investment and Economic Development Training Program
presents a fresh approach to revitalizing communities. Communities succeed when
stakeholders including citizens and local businesses derive real satisfaction
from their community, and when visitors, new businesses and investors find their
expectations met.
The initial task in the Estey Centre's program is to organize a planning group
comprising citizens, business people and local and regional government officials.
This planning group validates the importance of collaboration between the public
and private sectors and the need to involve all stakeholders in shaping the
community's future.
The group's job is threefold. First, it must define and diagnose the community's
condition, its major problems and their causes. Second, it must develop a vision
of the long-term solution to the community's problems based on a realistic assessment
of the community's values, resources and opportunities. Third, it must develop
a long-term plan of action involving several intermediate stages of investment
and transformation.
A community's success depends on the collaboration of the public and private
sectors, teamwork among governmental units, business firms, as well as voluntary
and civic associations. Unlike purely business or commercial product marketing,
community marketing requires the active support of public and private agencies,
interest groups and citizens.
A community's potential depends less on its location, climate and natural resources
than on the will, skill, energy, values and organization of its citizens. For
a community to succeed, it must be able to carry out the following tasks:
The Estey Centre program cannot do this for a community, but it can show a group of concerned and dedicated citizens or planners how to do it. Participants in the program learn by doing. In a sense, they take control of their community's destiny by creating a vision of the future and setting out a series of tasks that will help them realize that vision in a way that is flexible, practical and realistic to the conditions and culture that are unique to the community or region undertaking the program.
Humboldt Development Model used in Borneo
A Space for Cities in Trade Agreements
APEC Economic Integration Program
As part of the APEC Economic Integration Program to build WTO-related capacity in six countries in Southeast Asia, the Estey Centre, in partnership with the Conference Board of Canada, has developed a training curriculum which has already been launched and delivered to officials in all six countries. The curriculum comprises the following courses:
Introduction to Trade Policy and the WTO
This five-day
module introduces participants to globalization and its impact on economic development
in developing and transition economies. It examines the global trading system,
the importance of trade policy and its influence on poverty reduction and gender
equality. The WTO, institutional issues, agreements, dispute settlement mechanisms,
and the Doha Development Agenda are discussed in detail. The program also examines
the importance of consultations with stakeholders in the development of trade
policy and the implementation of trade obligations.
Advanced Specialized
Modules (3 days each)
Agricultural Trade Policy
This module examines the role of agriculture in the global economy and its particular
importance to developing countries and the region. The WTO Agreement on Agriculture,
subsidies, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues, dispute settlement, and
agriculture in the Doha Round are examined in depth. Issues such as agriculture
and the environment, dumping, trade remedies and safeguards are also discussed.
Special attention is given to the importance of consultation with farm and industry
groups in developing and implementing agricultural trade policy, as well as
issues of health, safety, labeling and inspection.
Trade
in Services
This module addresses the principles and practices used in negotiation of barriers
to trade in services. The GATS has been created to progressively liberalize
services trade and to prevent the introduction of new barriers. It is important
for governments to accurately schedule the liberalization they are willing to
undertake and that they know what concessions are being offered by trading partners.
The module also emphasizes the modes in which services are traded, the National
Treatment and market access commitments which can be agreed to, and how to incorporate
these via scheduling.
Market
Access
This module covers the principles and practices used in negotiation of reductions
of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade in goods. Although successive rounds
of negotiations have resulted in significant reductions in tariffs, high and
significant tariffs remain in the schedules of many countries to protect domestic
industry, and many countries' tariff schedules have tariff peaks which protect
further processed products by higher tariffs than the less processed inputs.
This course examines how tariff negotiations are conducted, how to evaluate
another country's tariff offer, and how to respond. The course also looks at
how the Harmonized System has simplified very complex subject matter by improving
data and tariff rate comparability. It also addresses non-tariff barriers and
textiles and apparel trade issues.
Multi-stakeholder
Consultation & Coordination in the Development of National Trade Strategy
This workshop is intended to: 1) Increase the capacity of participants to conduct
and benefit from multi-stakeholder consultations in the development and mainstreaming
of their national trade strategies; 2) Demonstrate the usefulness and benefits
of consulting with different stakeholder groups to national governments; and
3) Highlight the importance of intra-governmental coordination as a precursor
to and ongoing input in broader stakeholder consultations. Such coordination
would include interdepartmental coordination within national governments as
well as coordination with other levels of government as trade issues dictate.
Capstone
Course
Introduction to International Trade Negotiations
This one-week course is designed to give participants an opportunity to put
their knowledge to work in a negotiation learning and simulation environment.
The course provides participants with training in negotiation theory and practice
in an interactive setting, with opportunities to practice and develop negotiating
skills appropriate for use in multilateral or bilateral negotiations. Simulations
are used to develop and expand participants' self-confidence and presentation
skills.
The
BSE Crisis in Canada: A Trade Perspective on Sanitary Barriers
by Laura J. Loppacher
and William A. Kerr
The discovery of BSE in Canada's cattle herd on May 20, 2003 has led to lost
market access for Canadian cattle and beef in many countries. The Canadian cattle
industry is extremely export dependent, and the loss of almost all of major
export markets has had a devastating impact. Over a year later, many of these
markets have still not removed their restrictions on Canadian cattle and beef.
The severity of the restrictions and their long- term continuance are far in
excess of what is recommended by the international organisations that set the
standards for trade in animals and animal products. This has led many in the
Canadian industry to wonder why these sanitary barriers are being misused and
abused. The illegitimate and legitimate reasons for creating a sanitary barrier
are examined, along with the potential for abuse of trade barriers which may
have been imposed for legitimate reasons. Some suggestions for what the Canadian
industry should have done and what they should do now are also offered.
China's
Regulation of Biotechnology - Does it Conform to the WTO?
by Laura J. Loppacher
and William A. Kerr
The People's Republic of China has been working for over two decades
to develop a domestic biotechnology industry. Even though China is a developing
country, it is set to become a significant international player in the field
of biotechnology. China's accession to the World Trade Organization in December
of 2001 means that China's trade and regulatory regime should now reflect its
WTO commitments. This paper outlines the development of the Chinese biotechnology
industry and how it may evolve in the future. It assesses China's current approach
to trade and regulation of biotechnology in relation to GATT rules on trade
in goods and the TRIPS commitments pertaining to the protection of intellectual
property. The conclusion is that China's trade and intellectual property regimes
currently deviate considerably from WTO norms and number of trade disputes are
likely to arise in the near future.
Canada
and the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement:
Enhanced
Opportunities or Loss of Special Status?
by May T. Yeung and William
A. Kerr
Australia and the United States continue to make progress in their negotiations
to establish a bilateral Free Trade Agreement, raising questions about the implications
for Canada of such an agreement. New Zealand has expressed interest in negotiating
a similar agreement, but the USA does not consider it a priority at this time.
This study assesses the likely effects of such agreements on Canadian trade
with all three countries.
The
Evolving International Trade Regime for Food Safety and Environmental Standards:
Potential
Opportunities and Constraints for Saskatchewan's Beef Feedlot Industry
by Chad R. Wasylyniuk,
Kristal Bessel, William A. Kerr and Jill E. Hobbs
The
Estey Centre, in cooperation with the U.S. Hispanic Congressional Advisory Council,
Saskatchewan Trade & Export Partnership, U.S. Consulate General, Calgary,
and the Canadian Council for the Americas, and sponsored by
held a conference
to explore trade issues in both
NAFTA and the hemisphere (FTAA)
A
book, Globalization and Agricultural Trade Policy,
edited by Hans J. Michelmann, James Rude, Jack Stabler, and Gary Storey,
has been published as a project of the Estey Centre.
"Globalization and Agricultural Trade Policy
provides fresh insights on the contentious issues that agribusinesses, governments,
and scholars must respond to as WTO negotiations progress."
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CLICK HERE for table of contents and purchase information -
NEW INDEPENDENT RESEARCH STUDIES
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International
Regulation of Trade in the Products of Biotechnology
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| This
new study addresses the conflict between existing WTO rules and trade
obligations set out in multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs),
specifically the Biosafety Protocol.
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International
E-Commerce: A Solution to Penetrating |
| Electronic
commerce is changing the way business transactions occur, and is becoming
an increasingly important part of the marketing strategies of food
companies. This study explores the opportunities and constraints
associated with e-commerce marketing channels for food, focusing on
business-to-consumer e-commerce. The study points out that while
e-commerce offers potential benefits, including access to dispersed
geographic markets and closer relations between suppliers and consumers,
key barriers such as payment security, delivery problems, and fixed
customs and inspection fees remain. The absence of an international
agreement on global electronic commerce is a factor preventing the
expansion of e-commerce into international markets. The issue is
particularly pertinent for firms in emerging niche market sectors with
small domestic market potential. Firms in North America are
disadvantaged relative to those in the European Union, where products flow
freely across national borders within the customs union. The study
concludes that a policy imperative for those charged with negotiating
reciprocal custom free regulations should be to address this barrier to
international e-commerce, beginning with barriers between the NAFTA
countries.
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| This
study provides a framework that can be used to analyze
domestic policy initiatives to decide whether they comply with the WTO
agreements
The WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism has been in operation for a little more than half a decade. It is both automatic and binding, and is thus unlike its consensus-based GATT predecessor. This has meant that more disputes are coming to the WTO, and that the WTO Dispute Panel’s decisions are forming important precedents in international trade law. Only now, however, have there been a sufficient number of disputes related to the important trade issue of export subsidies to discern the principles upon which the Panels are basing their decisions. This information is important for the design of domestic subsidy programs, and in determining the compatibility of foreign subsidies with the WTO. The study provides an exhaustive look at the existing texts of the WTO agreements relating to export subsidies, and the international law literature on the topic. This is then used to provide the context for a comprehensive analysis of WTO export subsidy Panel reports. This analysis is used to develop a template against which existing or proposed subsidies can be evaluated, as to their WTO compatibility. Thus, the study provides a useful first step for determining whether a WTO challenge to a subsidy is likely, or if a WTO challenge should be contemplated. The Panel’s precedents hinge on key definitions of what constitutes a “financial contribution”, a “benefit conferred”, and being “contingent upon export performance”. The evolving legal precedents are then evaluated against economic criteria to judge their consistency. The failure to tie the legal definition of export subsidy to increases in exports is identified as a potential weakness. Although the study is written in a fashion that makes it accessible to the non-expert, it nevertheless should be a valuable tool for those in business or government who are concerned with either the design or the assessment of subsidies. The study provides what amounts to a “check-list” against which a subsidy can be evaluated. It should also provide a valuable decision-making tool for those who design or accept subsidies, as well as for those who must compete internationally in a subsidized business environment. |
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Copies of the
study are available from: |
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Impact of NAFTA on
Aboriginal Business in North America |
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Our web-based academic journal |
